Matthew D’Souza – 
The 86th Annual Geneva International Motor Show held in Geneva, Switzerland from March 3 to 13, 2016 has been billed as one of the best in the history of the event, with more than 687,000 visitors recorded over the 11-day event.
Almost all car manufacturers from across the Continents participated in the global show, many of them with technological innovations that could change the phase and style of driving in the coming years.
There were also some prototypes that failed to evince interest- just as well, some experts said, for they would not be suitable to modern roads that are getting extremely clogged and more importantly for the environment.
Bugatti Chiron
There was much excitement as Bugatti unveiled its ‘Chiron,’ claiming to the be ultimate sports car ever produced. Its ultra-modern, incredibly fast, agile and powerful with a stylistically demanding design and highest possible levels of comfort.
Lamborghini outsells
Lamborghini created history with all its limited edition ‘Centenario’ sold out even before they were brought to the Geneva Show. Built to honour the 100th birthday of founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, the car has an all-carbon fibre tub and more power from its V12 engine. Priced at about NZ$ 3.64 million apiece, the company produced 20 coupes and 20 convertibles, all of which were sold to marque enthusiasts.
However, there was much excitement as Bugatti released its new hyper-car, Lamborghini had something special under wraps, Koenigsegg went totally mad with the idea of an electric supercar and in doing so created the Regera. Along with that Mazda was rumoured to have tried to revive the rotary engine and Maserati decided to shift its focus.
Porsche & Maserati
Porsche released its ultimate version of long running 911, Called, ‘911R,’ it is a fully- stripped out version of a Standard 911. It contains the 4-litre engine from 911 GT3 RS which produces 550 bhp with a six-speed manual transmission. It also has a 0-100 kph time of 3.7 seconds, astonishingly quick for 911.
Maserati answered its competitors with ‘Levante,’ which looked more like a crossover rather than a luxury model. However, the manufacturer will start off with a V6 and a V8 model will be introduced shortly. Car fanatics are looking forward to hearing the stunning Maserati exhaust note from the tailpipes of an SUV which will envelope the passengers and the driver in luxury.
The Superstars
Rolls Royce had thousands of visitors to its stand as its ‘Black Badge’ appeared true to its advertisement- Bolder, Braver, Darker.
Aston Martin released ‘DB11,’ a serious contender in the 600 bhp supercar category. It packs a twin turbo V12 and can hit 100 kilometres per hour from a standstill in 3.9 seconds. It is estimated to cost around NZ$ 300,000.
Along with these some of the other stars at the show were Koenigsegg Regera Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan, Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, Fiat’s 124 Spider, Mercedes-Benz C-class cabriolet, Zara Larsson, the first ever four cylinder Porsche 718 Boxster, Volvo V90, the superlight Pagani Huayra BC, McLaren 570GT the Lamborghini Huracan.
The doors closed on the Geneva International Motor Show 2016 on the evening of March 13 with the traditional concert of car horns. The 87th edition of the Geneva International Motor Show will be held from March 9 to 19, 2017.
